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It is Kerala’s one and only Karnaki Temple where the goddess Karnaki is worshipped in her full idolic form.[2] This temple is situated at the Palakkad Town circle in Moothanthara (new name - Karnaki Nagar), a dwelling place of Karnaki’s own people descended from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu within historic times.

One of the main attractions of this temple is the way the traditional pooja rituals are performed in Karnaki’s temple and in the Visalakshi Sametha Shiva Temple (Siva-Parvathy Temple) in the same compound. For Karnaki, the Kerala form of pooja practices are performed by the Nambudiri; while in the Shiva Temple, Tamil Shaiva form of Pooja practices are performed by Tamil Brahmin priests.

Unlike other Tamil speaking caste groups already present or having descended from neighbouring states, Moothan people have accepted both cultures alike. Even though there are Tamil traces to their origin, they speak Malayalam only. This cultural blend is unusual in the state of Kerala. The temple has emerged as one of the spacious and beautiful temples of Palakkad, displaying a mix of Tamil and Malayalam architecture.

The temple's main festival is Valiya Aarattu, celebrated by the community for three days in the month of Malayalam calendar. On the day of Valiya Aarattu, prasad is given to the devotees and it is the biggest event organized in Palakkad every year. The cost of organising this function is fully sponsored by the devotees of Karnaki, who are merchants in all categories of business in Palakkad.

The moolasthanam (the root place)[3] where Goddess Karnaki is worshipped, is at Nadu–pathi at Moothanthara (Melamuri). Once this temple was well maintained and people from other neighbouring deshams (places) came to worship Karnaki (being the only idol around in that given period). It is observed from history that the Muslim ruler Tippu Sultan, son of Hyder Ali, ransacked and destroyed this temple during his reign at Palakkad. Devotees gathered to save the possessions of the temple and to avoid destruction of the idol. This idol was retained by her own sect of Moothans and is worshipped at Karnaki Amman temple, Moothanthara. Others of her divine possessions such as a peedom (sitting chair) are worshipped at Vadakkanthara Bhagwathy temple, while her umbrella is worshipped at another Karnaki temple in the town circle and the Kindi is worshipped at Pirayiri Kannukottu Bhagawathy temple.

1.
Hindu temple
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A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. It is typically used for such buildings belonging to all faiths where a specific term such as church. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism among religions with many modern followers, the form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the house of one or more deities. Typically offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals enacted, the degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly, often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings. The word comes from Ancient Rome, where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest and it has the same root as the word template, a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Templa also became associated with the places of a god or gods. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history, there is evidence of use of sacred ground as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. Hindu temples have been built in countries around the world, including Cambodia, Nepal, Mauritius, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Great Britain. They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions, Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace, a Jain temple is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji, Palitana Jain Temples, Ranakpur Jain Temple, Shravan Belgola, Dilwara Temples, Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from the Jain temples in South India, additionally, a Manastambha is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples. The temple of Mesopotamia derived from the cult of gods and deities in the Mesopotamian religion and it spanned several civilizations, from Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the deities to reside on earth, indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr, means mansion of a god. A gods presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and these rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well. Ancient Egyptian temples were also of significance to Egyptian society

2.
Palakkad
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In earlier times, Palakkad was known as Palakkattussery. Palakkad is the seventh most populous town in Kerala and lies near the Palghat Gap, Malayalam is the generally spoken language in Palakkad. The commonly held belief is that the name Palakkad is a fusion of two Malayalam words, Pala, which was the name given for barren land during the Sangam period, and Kadu, which means forest. Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap, Malayalam is the generally spoken language in Palakkad as it is the official language. The town is blessed with many small and medium rivers, which are tributaries of the Bharathapuzha River, of the number of dams in Palakkad district, the largest Malampuzha dam is 12 km from Palakkad town. Palakkad has a wet and dry climate. Temperatures remain moderate throughout the year, with exception in March, a very high amount of precipitation is received in Palakkad, mainly due to the South-West monsoon. July is the wettest month, and the annual rainfall is around 83 inches. The nearest international airport is Coimbatore International Airport, which is about 62 km from Palakkad, there has been a proposal for a mini domestic airport at East Yakkara with respect to setting up domestic airports for enhanced air connectivity by the civil aviation ministry of India. 60 acres has been identified for the project at East Yakkara Palakkad, there are two railway stations serving Palakkad - Palakkad Junction is a broad gauge railway junction and Palakkad Town railway station located in the heart of the Palakkad town. Close to Palakkad Junction is the office of Palakkad Railway Division, the cities of Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kozhikode and Ernakulam are connected by the broad gauge line. Train services to Pollachi, Dindigul and Madurai are through the broad gauge line through Palakkad Town station, Palakkad is well connected by roads. As per Census 2011, population of Palakkad in 2011 is 130,955, total literates in Palakkad city are 112,479 of which 56,065 are males while 56,414 are females. Average literacy rate of Palakkad city is 94.20 percent of male and female literacy was 96.83 and 91.73 percent. Hindus form 68% of the population with 89098 members, muslims constitute 27. 9% of the population with 36620 members. Christians constitute 3. 8% of the population with 5006 members, the metropolitan area of Palakkad includes Hemambikanagar, Marutharode, Palakkad municipality, Pirayiri, Pudussery Central, Pudussery West, and Puthuppariyaram. Its urban / metropolitan population is 293,566 of which 143,650 are males and 149,916 are females, the literacy rate of Palakkad Metropolitan Area is 92. 14%, much higher than the national average of 59. 5%. Malayalam is the most spoken language, Palakkad Fort – Fort dating from 1766, built by Hyder Ali of Mysore

3.
States and union territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab

4.
Kerala
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Kerala historically known as Keralam, is an Indian state in South India on the Malabar Coast. It was formed on 1 November 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act by combining Malayalam-speaking regions, spread over 38,863 km2, it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The region has been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE, the Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala, though it frequently struggled against attacks by the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, after independence, Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state in 1949. In 1956, Kerala state was formed by merging Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin, Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity. The culture is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures, developed over millennia, under influences from other parts of India, the production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, the states coastline extends for 595 kilometres, and around 1.1 million people in the state are dependent on the fishery industry which contributes 3% to the states income. The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages, mainly English, Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions. The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology, One popular theory derives Kerala from Kera and alam is land, thus land of coconuts, this also happens to be a nickname for the state due to abundance of coconut trees and its use by the locals. The word Kerala is first recorded in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription left by the Maurya emperor Ashoka, the inscription refers to the local ruler as Keralaputra, or son of Chera. This contradicts the theory that Kera is from coconut tree, at that time, one of three states in the region was called Cheralam in Classical Tamil, Chera and Kera are variants of the same word. The word Cheral refers to the oldest known dynasty of Kerala kings and is derived from the Proto-Tamil-Malayalam word for lake, the earliest Sanskrit text to mention Kerala is the Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rigveda. It is also mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the two Hindu epics, the Skanda Purana mentions the ecclesiastical office of the Thachudaya Kaimal who is referred to as Manikkam Keralar, synonymous with the deity of the Koodalmanikyam temple. Keralam may stem from the Classical Tamil cherive-alam or chera alam, the Greco-Roman trade map Periplus Maris Erythraei refers to Keralaputra as Celobotra. According to Hindu mythology, the lands of Kerala were recovered from the sea by the warrior sage Parasurama. Parasurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded as far as it reached, according to legend, this new area of land extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. The land which rose from sea was filled with salt and unsuitable for habitation, so Parasurama invoked the Snake King Vasuki, out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as protectors and guardians of the land

5.
Kannagi
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Kannagi is a legendary Tamil vaishya woman who forms the central character of the Tamil epic Silapathikaram. The story relates how Kannagi took revenge on the Pandyan King of Madurai, silapathigaaram is written by Ilango Adigal. Kovalan was the son of a merchant of Vaishya community in Puhar who married Kannagi. Kovalan met a dancer Madhavi and had an affair with her, at last, penniless, Kovalan realised his mistake and returned to his wife Kannagi. Kovalan hoped to recoup his fortunes by trade in Madurai, by selling the precious anklet of Kannagi, Madurai was ruled by Pandya king Nedunj Cheliyan I. When Kovalan tried to sell the anklet, it was mistaken for a stolen anklet of the queen, Kovalan was accused of having stolen the anklet and was immediately beheaded by the king without trial. When Kannagi was informed of this, she became furious, Kannagi came to the kings court, broke open the anklet seized from Kovalan and showed that it contained rubies, as opposed to the queens anklets which contained pearls. Realizing the fault, the king committed suicide in shame, after having delivered such a huge miscarriage of justice, Kannagi uttered a curse that the entire city of Madurai be burnt. The capital city of Pandyas was set ablaze resulting in huge losses, however, at the request of Goddess Meenakshi, she calmed down and later, attained salvation. The story forms the crux of Silapathikaram written by poet Ilango Adigal, Kannagi or Kannaki Amman is eulogized as the epitome of chastity and is worshiped as a goddess in select regions. She is worshiped as goddess Pattini in Sri Lanka by the Sinhalese Buddhists, Kannaki Amman by the Sri Lankan Tamil Hindus, a Tamil epic film Kannagi directed by R. S Mani released in 1942. This is the first Tamil film based on the epic Silapadhigaaram, a similar second movie named Poompuhar released later in 1964. A statue of Kannagi holding her anklet, depicting a scene from Silapathikaram was installed on Marina Beach and it was removed in December 2001 citing reasons that it hindered traffic. The statue was reinstalled in June 2006, a Sinhala film called Paththini was released on 5 May 2016 in Sri Lanka. Goddess Paththni or Kannagi was live acted by Pooja Umashankar, Kannaki Amman Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple Mangala Devi KannagiTemple Attukal Temple Thambiluvil Sri Kannaki amman temple R. K. K. Rajarajan Dance of Ardhanārī as Pattinī-Kaṉṉaki, With special reference to the Cilappatikāram, berliner Indologische Studien, Berlin, Vol. 13/14, pp. 401-14. In Tiziana Lorenzetti and Fabio Scialpi eds, glimpses of Indian History and Art. Reflections on the Past, Perspectives for the Future, roma, SAPIENZA Università Editrice, pp. 233-270

6.
Tamil Nadu
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Tamil Nadu is one of the 29 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai, Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry and the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The state shares a border with the nation of Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu is the eleventh-largest state in India by area and the sixth-most populous, the state was ranked sixth among states in India according to the Human Development Index in 2011, with the second-largest state economy after Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu is the second largest state economy in India with ₹13,842 billion in gross domestic product after Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu was ranked as one of the top seven developed states in India based on a Multidimensional Development Index in a 2013 report published by the Reserve Bank of India and its official language is Tamil, which is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world. Tamil Nadu is home to natural resources. In addition, its people have developed and continue classical arts, classical music, historic buildings and religious sites include Hindu temples of Tamil architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in the Indian peninsula, the ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is very rudimentary Tamil Brahmi. Adichanallur has been announced as a site for further excavation. About 60 per cent of the epigraphical inscriptions found by the ASI in India are from Tamil Nadu. A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus script on it was discovered at Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu, according to epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan, this was the first datable artefact bearing the Indus script to be found in Tamil Nadu. Mahadevan claimed that the find was evidence of the use of the Harappan language, the date of the celt was estimated at between 1500 BCE and 2000 BCE. The early history of the people and rulers of Tamil Nadu is a topic in Tamil literary sources known as Sangam literature, numismatic, archaeological and literary sources corroborate that the Sangam period lasted for about six centuries, from 300 BC to AD300. Three dynasties, namely the Chera, Chola and Pandya, ruled the area of present-day Tamil Nadu, the Chera ruled the whole of present-day Kerala and parts of western Tamil Nadu comprising Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Karur, Salem and Erode districts from the capital of Vanchi Muthur. The Chola dynasty ruled the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu from their capital, Uraiyur, All three dynasties had extensive trade relationships with Rome, Greece, Egypt, Ceylon, Phoenicia, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia. Trade flourished in commodities such as spices, ivory, pearls, beads, Chera traded extensively from Muziris on the west coast, Chola from Arikamedu and Puhar and Pandya through Korkai port. A Greco-Roman trade and travel document, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea gives a description of the Tamil country, besides these three dynasties, the Sangam era Tamilakam was also divided into various provinces named nadu, meaning country

7.
Puja (Hinduism)
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Pūjā or Poojan is a prayer ritual performed by Hindus to host, honour and worship one or more deities, or to spiritually celebrate an event. Sometimes spelt phonetically as pooja or poojah, it may honour or celebrate the presence of special guest, the word pūjā comes from Sanskrit, and means reverence, honour, homage, adoration, and worship. Puja rituals are held by Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. In Hinduism, puja is done on a variety of occasions, frequency and settings. It may include daily puja done in the home, to temple ceremonies and annual festivals, to few lifetime events such as birth of a baby or a wedding. The two main areas where puja is performed are in the home and at temples to mark certain stages of life, events or some such as Durga Puja. Puja is not mandatory, it may be a daily affair for some Hindus, periodic ritual for some. In some temples, various pujas may be performed daily at various times of the day, in other temples, Puja varies according to the school of Hinduism. Puja may vary by region, occasion, deity honored, in formal Nigama ceremonies, a fire may be lit in honour of deity Agni, without an idol or image present. In contrast, in Agama ceremonies, an idol or image of deity is present, in both ceremonies, a diya or incense stick may be lit while a prayer is chanted or hymn is sung. Puja is typically performed by a Hindu worshipper alone, though sometimes in presence of a priest who is well versed in procedure, both Nigama and Agama puja are practiced in Hinduism in India. In Hinduism of Bali Indonesia, Agama puja is most prevalent both inside homes and in temples, Puja is sometimes called Sembahyang in Indonesia. Puja is an ancient culture or way of life, with unclear origins, joshi claims the word puja was first used in vedic times when Sūtra were composed, to describe prayers and worship before yajna or homa – fire deity, Agni. Charpentier suggests the origin of the word Puja may lie in the Dravidian languages, two possible Tamil roots have been suggested, Poosai to smear with something and Poochei to do with flowers. According to scholars, one of the earliest mentions of pūjā is in the Grihya Sutras and these Sutras, dated to be about 500 BC, use the term puja to describe the hospitality to honor priests who were invited to one’s home to lead rituals for departed ancestors. As Hindu philosophy expanded and diversified, with such as the bhakti movement. As with vedic times, the concept of puja remained the same. The Puranic corpus of literature, dating from about 6th century CE, deity puja thus melds Vedic rites with devotion to deity in its ritual form

8.
Shiva
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Shiva is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism, Shiva is the transformer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Brahma and Vishnu. In Shaivism tradition, Shiva is the Supreme being who creates, protects, in the goddess tradition of Hinduism called Shaktism, the goddess is described as supreme, yet Shiva is revered along with Vishnu and Brahma. A goddess is stated to be the energy and creative power of each and he is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. At the highest level, Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, Shiva has many benevolent and fearsome depictions. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives a life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with wife Parvati. In his fierce aspects, he is depicted slaying demons. Shiva is also known as Adiyogi Shiva, regarded as the god of yoga, meditation. Shiva is usually worshipped in the form of Lingam. Shiva is a deity, revered widely by Hindus, in India, Nepal. The Sanskrit word Śiva means, states Monier Williams, auspicious, propitious, gracious, benign, kind, benevolent, the roots of Śiva in folk etymology is śī which means in whom all things lie, pervasiveness and va which means embodiment of grace. The word Shiva is used as an adjective in the Rig Veda, as an epithet for several Rigvedic deities, the term Shiva also connotes liberation, final emancipation and the auspicious one, this adjective sense of usage is addressed to many deities in Vedic layers of literature. The term evolved from the Vedic Rudra-Shiva to the noun Shiva in the Epics, Sharma presents another etymology with the Sanskrit root śarv-, which means to injure or to kill, interprets the name to connote one who can kill the forces of darkness. The Sanskrit word śaiva means relating to the god Shiva, and it is used as an adjective to characterize certain beliefs and practices, such as Shaivism. Some authors associate the name with the Tamil word śivappu meaning red, noting that Shiva is linked to the Sun, the Vishnu sahasranama interprets Shiva to have multiple meanings, The Pure One, and the One who is not affected by three Guṇas of Prakṛti. Shiva is known by names such Viswanathan, Mahadeva, Mahesha, Maheshvara, Shankara, Shambhu, Rudra, Hara, Trilochana, Devendra, Neelakanta, Subhankara, Trilokinatha. The highest reverence for Shiva in Shaivism is reflected in his epithets Mahādeva, Maheśvara, Sahasranama are medieval Indian texts that list a thousand names derived from aspects and epithets of a deity. There are at least eight different versions of the Shiva Sahasranama, the version appearing in Book 13 of the Mahabharata provides one such list

9.
Nambudiri
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The Nambudiri Brahmins, also transliterated Namboothiri, are Hindu Brahmins from the Indian state of Kerala. Nambudiri mythology associates their immigration to Kerala from the banks of Narmada, Krishna and Kaveri rivers with the creation of Kerala by Parasurama. At the time of their arrival the local population had been converted to Buddhism by missionaries who had come from the north of India. The Brahmins used their priestly and advisory relationship with the forces to assert their beliefs. Buddhist temples and monasteries were destroyed or taken over for use in Hindu practices. The origins of Malayalam as a language is attributed to the Nambudiri Brahamins mixing of Sanskrit. Their dominating influence was to be found in all matters, religion, politics, society, economics, the Nambudiri Brahmin tradition which limited the extent of marriage within their own caste led to the practice of hypergamy with the Nair community. The children resulting from such marriages always became Nairs, K. M. Panikkar argues that it is this type of relationship that resulted in the matrilineal and matrilocal system. Among the higher-ranking Nayars in contradistinction to the commoner Nayars, no two subdivisions admitted to equal status, thus the relations set up by the tall-rite and the sambandham union were always hypergamous. It was not a practice outside the higher subcaste groups. Traditionally, Nambudiri men wore a cloth around the waist called a mundu, when they had to travel, they wore a simple cloth around the waist called a thorthu. When they had to travel, they wore two sets of cloth in addition known as a vasthram, agnicayana, the Vedic ritual still observed by members of the Nambudiri priesthood List of Nambudiris Pushpaka Brahmin Smarthavicharam Namboothiri Websites Trust Yogakshema Sabha

10.
Tamils
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Tamil people with a population of approximately 76 million living around the world are one of the largest and oldest of the existing ethno-linguistic cultural groups of people in the modern world. Tamils comprise 24. 87% of the population in Sri Lanka,5. 91% in India,10. 83% in Mauritius, 5% in Singapore, among languages spoken today, the Tamil language is the oldest written language. Between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century AD, Tamil people produced native literature that came to be called Sangam literature, Tamils were noted for their martial, religious and mercantile activities beyond their native borders. Pandyas and Cholas were historically active in Sri Lanka, the Chola dynasty successfully invaded parts of Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Southern Thailand and Indonesia. Medieval Tamil guilds and trading organizations like the Ayyavole and Manigramam played an important role in the Southeast Asia trade, Pallava traders and religious leaders travelled to Southeast Asia and played an important role in the cultural Indianisation of the region. Locally developed scripts such as Grantha and Pallava script induced the development of many scripts such as Khmer, Javanese Kawi script, Baybayin. Tamil visual art is dominated by stylised Temple architecture in major centres, Chola bronzes, especially the Nataraja sculpture of the Chola period, have become notable as a symbol of Hinduism. Tamil performing arts are divided into popular and classical, classical form is Bharatanatyam, whereas the popular forms are known as Koothu and performed in village temples and on street corners. Tamil cinema, known as Kollywood, is an important part of the Indian cinema industry, music too is divided into classical Carnatic form and many popular genres. Although most Tamils are Hindus, most practice what is considered to be folk Hinduism, a sizeable number are Christians and Muslims. A small Jain community survives from the period as well. Tamil cuisine is informed by varied vegetarian and non-vegetarian items usually spiced with locally available spices, the music, the temple architecture and the stylised sculptures favoured by the Tamil people as in their ancient nation are still being learnt and practised. It is unknown as to whether the term Thamizhar and its equivalents in Prakrit such as Damela, Dameda, the well-known Hathigumpha inscription of the Kalinga ruler Kharavela refers to a Tmira samghata dated to 150 BC. It also mentions that the league of Tamil kingdoms had been in existence 113 years before then, in Amaravati in present-day Andhra Pradesh there is an inscription referring to a Dhamila-vaniya datable to the 3rd century AD. Another inscription of about the time in Nagarjunakonda seems to refer to a Damila. A third inscription in Kanheri Caves refers to a Dhamila-gharini, in the Buddhist Jataka story known as Akiti Jataka there is a mention to Damila-rattha. There were trade relationship between the Roman Empire and Pandyan Empire, as recorded by Strabo, Emperor Augustus of Rome received at Antioch an ambassador from a king called Pandyan of Dramira. Hence, it is clear that by at least 300 BC, Thamizhar is etymologically related to Tamil, the language spoken by Tamil people

11.
Malayalam
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Malayalam /mʌləˈjɑːləm/ is a language spoken in India, predominantly in the state of Kerala. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and was designated as a Classical Language in India in 2013 and it was developed to the current form mainly by the influence of the poet Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan in the 16th century. Malayalam has official status in the state of Kerala and in the union territories of Lakshadweep. It belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and is spoken by some 38 million people, according to one theory, Malayalam originated from Middle Tamil in the 7th century. However, the current understanding proposes the separation of Malayalam from Proto-Dravidian in the pre-historic era, Malayalam incorporated many elements from Sanskrit through the ages. Before Malayalam came into being, Old Tamil was used in literature and courts of a region called Tamilakam, including present day Kerala state, silappatikaramit was written by Chera prince Ilango Adigal from Chunkaparra, and is considered a classic in Sangam literature. Modern Malayalam still preserves many words from the ancient Tamil vocabulary of Sangam literature, the earliest script used to write Malayalam was the Vatteluttu alphabet, and later the Kolezhuttu, which derived from it. As Malayalam began to borrow words as well as the rules of grammar from Sanskrit. This developed into the modern Malayalam script, many medieval liturgical texts were written in an admixture of Sanskrit and early Malayalam, called Manipravalam. The oldest literary work in Malayalam, distinct from the Tamil tradition, is dated from between the 9th and 11th centuries, the first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Due to its lineage deriving from both Tamil and Sanskrit, the Malayalam script has the largest number of letters among the Indian language orthographies, the Malayalam script includes letters capable of representing almost all the sounds of all Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages. Malayalam serves as a language on the islands including the Mahl-dominated Minicoy Island. The word Malayalam originated from the Sanskrit resp, Malayalam words malai or mala, meaning hill, and elam, meaning region. Malayalam thus translates as hill region and used to refer to the land of the Chera dynasty, the language Malayalam is alternatively called Alealum, Malayalani, Malayali, Malean, Maliyad, and Mallealle. The word Malayalam originally meant only for the name of the region, Malayanma or Malayayma represented the language. With the emergence of modern Malayalam language, the name of the language started to be known by the name of the region, hence now, the word Malayanma is considered by some to represent the olden Malayalam language. The language got the name Malayalam during the mid 19th century, the origin of Malayalam, an independent offshoot of the proto-Dravidian language, has been and continues to be an engaging pursuit among comparative historical linguists. Together with Tamil, Toda, Kannada and Tulu, Malayalam belongs to the group of Dravidian languages

12.
Festival
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A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect of that community and its religion or traditions. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, next to religion and folklore, a significant origin is agricultural. Food is such a resource that many festivals are associated with harvest time. Religious commemoration and thanksgiving for good harvests are blended in events that take place in autumn, such as Halloween in the northern hemisphere, Festivals often serve to fulfill specific communal purposes, especially in regard to commemoration or thanksgiving. The celebrations offer a sense of belonging for religious, social, or geographical groups and they may also provide entertainment, which was particularly important to local communities before the advent of mass-produced entertainment. In Ancient Greece and Rome, festivals such as the Saturnalia were closely associated with social organisation, in modern times, festivals may be attended by strangers such as tourists, who are attracted to some of the more eccentric or historical ones. The word festival was used as an adjective from the late fourteenth century. In Middle English, a festival dai was a religious holiday and its first recorded used as a noun was in 1589. Feast first came into usage as a noun circa 1200, the term feast is also used in common secular parlance as a synonym for any large or elaborate meal. When used as in the meaning of a festival, most often refers to a religious rather than a film or art festival. In the Philippines and many other former Spanish colonies, the Spanish word fiesta is used to denote a religious feast to honor a patron saint. Many festivals have religious origins and entwine cultural and religious significance in traditional activities, the most important religious festivals such as Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, and Eid al-Adha serve to mark out the year. Others, such as harvest festivals, celebrate seasonal change, events of historical significance, such as important military victories or other nation-building events also provide the impetus for a festival. An early example is the established by Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Rameses III celebrating his victory over the Libyans. In many countries, royal holidays commemorate dynastic events just as agricultural holidays are about harvests, there are numerous types of festivals in the world and most countries celebrate important events or traditions with traditional cultural events and activities. Most culminate in the consumption of specially prepared food and they bring people together, Festivals are also strongly associated with national holidays. Lists of national festivals are published to make participation easier, among many religions, a feast is a set of celebrations in honour of Gods or God. A feast and a festival are historically interchangeable, the Sed festival, for example, celebrated the thirtieth year of an Egyptian pharaohs rule and then every three years after that

13.
Tipu Sultan
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Tipu Sultan, also known as the Tiger of Mysore, and Tipu Sahib, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the eldest son of Sultan Hyder Ali of Mysore, Tipu expanded the iron-cased Mysorean rockets and commissioned the military manual Fathul Mujahidin. He is considered a pioneer in the use of rocket artillery, Tipu Sultan deployed the rockets against advances of British forces and their allies in their 1792 and 1799 Siege of Srirangapatna. Napoleon, the French commander-in-chief who later became emperor, sought an alliance with Tipu, Tipu engaged in expansionist attacks against his neighbours. He remained an enemy of the British East India Company. In the Third Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu was forced into the humiliating Treaty of Seringapatam, losing a number of conquered territories, including Malabar. He sent emissaries to foreign states, including the Ottoman Turkey, Afghanistan and he is said to have forced Manglore Catholics to convert to Islam. Also during his only three temples of his kingdom were able to offer daily Pooja. Tipu Sultan was born on 20 November 1750 at Devanahalli, in present-day Bengaluru Rural district and he was named Tipu Sultan after the saint Tipu Mastan Aulia of Arcot. Tipu was also called Sultan Sayyid walShareef Fateh Ali Khan Tipu after his grandfather Fath Muhammad, Tipu was born at Devanhalli in a Najeeb AlTarfayn Sayyid family meaning having ancestry to both Imams Hassan and Hussain, as the son of Hyder Ali. Being illiterate, Hyder was very particular in giving his eldest son a princes education, from the age of 17 Tipu was given independent charge of important diplomatic and military missions. He was his fathers right arm in the wars from which Hyder emerged as the most powerful ruler of southern India. Tipus father, Hyder Ali, was an officer in service to the Kingdom of Mysore, he rapidly rose in power. Hyders father, Fath Muhammad, was born in Kolar, Fateh Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore. Tipus mother Fatima Fakhr-un-Nisa was the daughter of Mir Muin-ud-Din, the governor of the fort of Kadapa, Hyder Ali appointed able teachers to give Tipu an early education in subjects like Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Kannada, Quran, Islamic jurisprudence, riding, shooting and fencing. Tipu Sultan was instructed in military tactics by French officers in the employment of his father, at age 15, he accompanied his father against the British in the First Mysore War in 1766. He commanded a corps of cavalry in the invasion of Carnatic in 1767 at age 16 and he also distinguished himself in the First Anglo-Maratha War of 1775–1779. In 1779, the British captured the French-controlled port of Mahé, in response, Hyder launched an invasion of the Carnatic, with the aim of driving the British out of Madras

14.
Hyder Ali
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Hyder Ali Khan also known as Hyder Ali Sahib, Haidarālī was the Sultan and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Sayyid walSharif Hyder Ali Khan, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysores rulers, rising to the post of Dalavayi to Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, he came to dominate the titular monarch and the Mysore government. He became the de facto ruler of Mysore as Sarvadhikari by 1761, though illiterate, Hyder Ali earned an important place in the history of southern India for his administrative acumen and military skills. He concluded an alliance with the French against the British and used the services of French workmen in raising his artillery and his rule of Mysore was characterised by frequent warfare with his neighbours and rebellion within his territories. This was not unusual for the time as much of the Indian subcontinent was then in turmoil. He was a leader and left his eldest son, Tipu Sultan, an extensive kingdom bordered by the Krishna River in the north, the Eastern Ghats in the east. The exact date of Hyder Alis birth is not known with certainty, various historical sources provide dates ranging between 1717 and 1722 for his birth. There are also variations in reports of his ancestry. According to some accounts, his grandfather was descended from a line of Sayyids tracing their lineage back to Persia, while another traces his lineage instead to the area of present-day Afghanistan. His father, Fath Muhammad, was born in Kolar, Fath Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore, where he rose to become a powerful military commander. The Wodeyars awarded him Budikote as a jagir, where he served as Naik. Hyder Ali was born in Budikote, he was Fath Muhammads fifth child, and his early years are not well documented, he entered military service along with his brother Shahbaz after their father died in combat. After serving for a number of years under the rulers of Arcot, they came to Seringapatam and he introduced them to Devaraja, the dalwai of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, and his brother Nanjaraja, who also held important ministerial posts. Hyder and his brother were given commands in the Mysorean army, Hyder served under Shahbaz, commanding 100 cavalry and 2,000 infantry. In 1748, Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I, the longtime Nizam of Hyderabad, the struggle to succeed him is known as the Second Carnatic War, and pitted Asaf Jahs son Nasir Jung against a cousin, Muzaffar Jung. Both sides were supported by local leaders, and French. Devaraja had started vesting more military authority in his brother, the army went to Devanhalli, where the Mysoreans participated in the Siege of Devanahalli Fort. The fort was held by Muzaffar Jungs forces and the siege was conducted by the Marquis de Bussy, during the successful eight-month siege, the Naik brothers distinguished themselves, and were rewarded by the dalwai with enlarged commands

15.
Umbrella
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An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs, which is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight, the word umbrella typically refers to a device used for protection from rain. The word parasol usually refers to a designed to protect from the sun. Often the difference is the used for the canopy, some parasols are not waterproof. Umbrella canopies may be made of fabric or flexible plastic, Umbrellas and parasols are primarily hand-held portable devices sized for personal use. The largest hand-portable umbrellas are golf umbrellas, another distinction can be made between manually operated umbrellas and spring-loaded automatic umbrellas which spring open at the press of a button. Hand-held umbrellas have some type of handle, either a wooden or plastic cylinder or a bent crook handle, Umbrellas are available in a range of price and quality points, ranging from inexpensive, modest quality models sold at discount stores to expensive, finely made, designer-labeled models. The collapsible/folding umbrella, the predecessor to the modern umbrella. These Chinese umbrellas were internally supported with bendable, retractable, an umbrella may also be called a brolly, parapluie, rainshade, gamp, or bumbershoot. The word parasol is a combination of para, meaning to stop or to shield, parapluie similarly consists of para combined with pluie, which means rain. Hence, a parasol shields from sunlight while a parapluie shields from rain, the word umbrella evolved from the Latin umbella or umbra, meaning shaded or shadow. In Britain, umbrellas were sometimes referred to as gamps after the character Mrs. Gamp in the Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit, Mrs. Gamps character was well known for carrying an umbrella. Brolly is a word for umbrella, used often in Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa. Bumbershoot is a fanciful Americanism from the late 19th century, in all written records, the oldest reference to a collapsible umbrella dates to the year 21 AD, when Wang Mang had one designed for a ceremonial four-wheeled carriage. The 2nd-century commentator Fu Qian added that this collapsible umbrella of Wang Mangs carriage had bendable joints which enabled them to be extended or retracted. A 1st century collapsible umbrella has since recovered from the tomb of Wang Guang at Lelang Commandery in the Korean Peninsula, illustrated in a work by Harada. However, the Chinese collapsible umbrella is perhaps a concept that is yet centuries older than Wangs tomb. An even older source on the umbrella is perhaps the ancient book of Chinese ceremonies, called Zhou Li, dating 2400 years ago, which directs that upon the imperial cars the dais should be placed

16.
Kindi (vessel)
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Kindi is a type of a pitcher usually found in old houses in Kerala and other parts of India. Early examples of Kindi first appears in chalcolithic period cultuers of South Asia, notably in Savalda Culture, usually made of bell metal, it is commonly used during Puja to dispense holy water. Kindi is also used to water at the entrance of the house, so that visitors can wash their feet with this water. The shape of Kindi is very effective to minimize water loss while washing the feet or hand and its shape is also very attractive. While using Kindi, the hands of the user never touch the water inside the Kindi, so that water never get contaminated

17.
Alappuzha district
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Alappuzha is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala in India. It was formed as Alleppey District on August 17,1957, the name of the district was officially changed to Alappuzha in 1990. The district is a known tourist destination and is well known for its Coir factories. Most of Keralas coir industries are situated in and around Alappuzha, the district is also known for its communist traditions. It is home to the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising against the British and also the revolt against the Feudal raj, Alappuzha is strongly connected by waterways to various other parts of Kerala, including the famous tourist destination, Kumarakom. The present town owes its existence to Raja Kesavadas in the half of the 18th century. Kuttanad, the bowl of Kerala, was well known from early in the Sangam period. History says Alappuzha had trade relations with ancient Greece and Rome in B. C. early members of the Chera dynasty had their home in Kuttanad and were called Kuttuvans. There is archaeological evidence of the period of the district, such as stone inscriptions and monuments, in temples and caves. The famous literary work of this period was Ascharya Choodamani a Sanskrit drama written by Sakthibhadra who was a scholar of Chengannur grammar and it is said that Sreekrishna Swami temple, at Ambalappuzha was constructed and the idol of Lord Krishna installed during that time. It is believed that Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, Neelakanta Deekshithar, in the 17th century the Portuguese power declined and the Dutch had a predominant position in the principalities of this district. The church located at Kokkamangalam or Kokkothamangalam was one of the seven churches founded by St. Thomas the Apostle, the picturesque CSI Christ Church in Alappuzha town was built in 1818 by the first CMS missionary to India, Rev. Thomas Norton. It was the first Anglican Church to be established in the state of Travancore. It was at that time Maharaja Marthandavarma, the ‘Maker of modern Travancore’ interfered in the affairs of those principalities. Marthandavarma Maharaja had a role in the internal progress of the district. The Krishnapuram Palace, which is now a monument of the State Archaeology Department, was constructed during that period. It was at time that the great and talented poet Kunjan Nambiar was installed in the court. He was known as the ‘Maker of modern Alleppey’ and played a key role in making Alappuzha a premier port town of Travancore, during the reign of Balaramavarma Maharaja, Velu Thampi Dalava took keen interest in the development of the town and port

18.
Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple
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Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple is a Hindu temple in Ambalappuzha, Alapuzha district of Kerala, in south India. The Ambalappuzha Sri Krishna Temple is believed to have built during 15th – 17th AD by the local ruler Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran. The idol at Ambalapuzha is likened to Parthasarthi with a whip in the right hand and this temple is directly associated to the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple. During the raids of Tipu Sultan in 1789, the idol of Sri Krishna from the Guruvayoor Temple was brought to the Ambalappuzha Temple for safe keeping, the payasam served in the Ambalappuzha Temple is famous among Hindu devotees. This sweet pudding made of rice and milk has an interesting mythological legend behind it. It is believed that Guruvayoorappan reaches here daily at the time of Palpayasa Nedyam to have it. According to the legend, God Krishna once appeared in the form of a sage in the court of the king who ruled the region, the king being a chess enthusiast himself gladly accepted the invitation. The prize had to be decided before the game and the king asked the sage to choose his prize in case he won. The sage told the king that he had a very modest claim and being a man of few material needs, the amount of rice itself shall be determined using the chess-board in the following manner. One grain of rice shall be placed in the first square, two grains in the square, four in the third square, eight in the fourth square, sixteen in 5th square. Every square will have double of its predecessor, upon hearing the demand, the king was unhappy since the sage requested only a few grains of rice instead of other riches from the kingdom which the king would have been happy to donate. He requested the sage to add items to his prize. So the game of chess started and needless to say the king lost the game and it was time to pay the sage his agreed-upon prize. As he started adding grains of rice to the chess board, by the 20th square, the number had reached one million grains of rice and by the 40th square, it became one million million. The royal granary soon ran out of grains of rice, the king realised that even if he provides all the rice in his kingdom and his adjacent kingdoms, he will never be able to fulfill the promised reward. Upon seeing the dilemma, the sage appeared to the king in his true-form and he told the King that he did not have to pay the debt immediately but could pay him over time. The king would serve paal-payasam in the temple freely to the every day until the debt was paid off. The Amabalapuzha Temple Festival was established during the fifteenth century A. D, at this time, a part of the Travancore, was ruled by the Chembakassery Devanarayana Dynasty. The rulers of this dynasty were highly religious and decided that an idol of Lord Krishna was to be brought to the Amabalapuzha Sree Krishna Swamy Temple from the Karinkulam temple

19.
Manakkattu Devi Temple
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Manakkattu Devi Temple is one of the most renowned temples in Kerala. The temple is located at Pallippad in Karthikappalli taluk of Alappuzha district in the south Indian state Kerala, the temple is situated about 4 km east of Harippad on Nangiarkulangara Mavelikkara road. Thekkummuri, Kottakkakam, Naduvattom and Thekkekkara kizhakku There are many Upadevathas adjacent to the temple, the main Upadevathas in the temple premises are, Yakshi Nagarajav Muhurthi Rekshas Vallyachan The Temple has a number of festivals. The important ones are In the numerous temples of Onattukara, the Parayeduppu period is the festival season and it all begins when the deity of Manakkattu Devi temple is taken out in procession for Parayeduppu on the Bharani star of the Malayalam month Makaram. The main part of Parayeduppu is the Jeevathaconstructed in the model of the structure itself. The rhythms used during Jeevatha Ezunnallathu are quite noteworthy, starting with very slow beats, it builds up a crescendo and ends in fast beats. The ensemble consists of Veekkan chenda, Uruttu chenda, Elathaalam, Kombu, Temple Website Facebook Page YouTube Videos

20.
Chettikulangara Devi Temple
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Chettikulangara Sree Bhagavathi temple is one of the most renowned Hindu temples in Kerala. Main deity Sree Bhadrakali, The temple is located at Chettikulangara in Mavelikkara taluk of Alappuzha district in the south Indian state of Kerala, the temple is situated about 4 kilometres west of Mavelikkara,7 kilometres north of Kayamkulam on SH6. Bhadrakali, is an incarnation of supreme mother Shakthi devi, born from the eye of Lord Shiva. Bhadra means good and Kali means goddess of time, so Bhadrakali is worshipped for prosperity and salvation. Devi is considered as the creator, protector, destructor, nature, power, Chettikulangara devi is the supreme mother goddess, Shakthi devi in Hinduism. The temple has 13 Karas, or territories, the temple is at the centre of the oldest four Karas and the rest of the Karas surround the temple, which is believed to be 1,200 years old. The Thantric rights of the temple belongs to Plackudy Illom, With its Tharavadu in Ambalapuzha, Plackudy is one among the ancient Thantric families of Kerala. Recently UNESCO collected details about the temple and its customs in order to examine whether the temple is eligible for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List and this is the second largest temple in terms of income under the control of Travancore Devaswom Board, second only next to Sabarimala. It is estimated that the temple has earnings worth many crores per year, in 2009 it earned around 1.7 crore Rupees from a single type of offering called Chanthattam. A major part of the Nellu offered to the Bhagavathi is also used to make Appam, the income from the temple is also helpful to run the daily rituals and Poojas at various temples under the Travancore Devaswom Board. There are Similar Kettukazhcha at various temples in this onattukara Area, there are many popular beliefs related to the origin of Chettikulangara temple. The most popular one is as follows, many centuries ago, some local chieftains went to witness the annual festivities at the Koypallikarazhma Bhagavathi temple situated a few kilometers from Chettikulangara. The visitors were humiliated and ridiculed by the Koypallikarazhma temple authorities, perturbed by the humiliation, and out of retribution, they decided to construct a Bhagavathi temple at Chettikulangara. They embarked on a pilgrimage visiting various temples en route and reached Kodungallur and it is said that the Devi came in their dreams to say that she would soon come to Chettikulangara. The next day, they returned to Chettikulangara with a sacred sword given by the Velichappadu of Kodungallur temple. A few days later, while the kadathukaran of the nearby Karippuzha rivulet was winding up his work on a late evening, he heard an old woman requesting his help to ferry her to the other shore. He felt it was his duty to help this lonely lady, and decided to accompany her to Chettikulangara, on the way, they took rest beneath a wayside tree, and the Kadathukaran brought food for them from a nearby house. Soon he fell asleep, and when he woke up by early daybreak, aappindi will be embellished with crackers, pookkula, and will be covered with tender banana stems and Thalapppoli

21.
Evoor Major Sri krishnaswamy temple
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Evoor Major Srikrishnaswamy temple is a Krishna temple in Evoor near Kayamkulam, Alappuzha, Kerala. It is said to have originated five millennium ago following Khandava Dahanam, temple in its current form is built by Moolam Thirunal. Agni, after devouring clarified butter uninterrupted for twelve years from Swetakis Yagja, Lord Brahma advised him to consume the Khandava forest. The forest was abode to Takshaka, the Naga leader and friend of Indra, whenever Agni tried to consume the forest Indra, with his thundershowers, stopped him. Agni turned to Arjuna and Krishna for assistance, Agni armed Arjuna with the mighty bow Gandiva which rivalled Pinaka, the bow of Lord Shiva himself. When Arjuna and Krishna arrived at Khandava forest Kanva Maharishi approached them with a request to spare his Arca moorthy Krishna granted the request, Arjuna constructed a Sarakoodam to shelter Agni. Under the Sarakoodam Agni consumed the forest and was cured of the ailment, grateful, Agni, expressed his wish to install Arca moorthy in a new temple there to facilitate worship. As instructed by Sri Krishna, Arjuna fired an arrow to determine a location for the proposed temple. The place where the arrow landed was used to construct the new temple, Evoor is a corrupt form of Eythoor. Krishna performed Prana-Pratishta and Arjuna performed the first pooja, bhoothanathaswamy and Yakshi Amma were consecrated as the Sub Deities. The remains of burned trees in the locality and names of places, Karippuzha, Pathiyoor, Pandavarkavu, Mannarasala. About one and a century ago the temple burnt when the sanctum santorum caught fire. The idol was recovered from the burning temple, the then King Moolam Thirunal who was visiting Kashi had a vision in his dream asking him to reconstruct the temple. He returned right away and constructed a new temple, Evoor Bhagavan’s Deity is the unique Prayoga Chakra Prathishta. The idol of Sri Krishna is in the four armed Vishu form with Panchajanya Shankha, Sudarshana Chakra, the deity is furious form and Raktha-pushpanjali is a special offering here which is unavailable in Vishnu temples elsewhere. Ulsava in Evoor temple starts on first day of makara and continues for ten days, the Ultsava begins with the hosting of Garuda printed flag. The ulsava of days 6,7,8 are sponsored by three karas on at a time, on the ninth day there is Kala-kettu. The ulsava culminates with Aaraattu after that the flag is lowered and the deity proceeds to Pallikkuruppu

22.
Haripad Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple
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The Sree Subrahmanya Swamy temple in Haripad is one of the oldest temples in Kerala. This temple dedicated to Subrahmanya Swamy is known as Dakshina Palani and it is believed that the temple was established even before the advent of Kaliyuga. It is believed that the idol has been used by Parasurama for Poojas and was left in Kandanalloor in Govindamuttom Backwaters from which it was recovered. It is said all the landlords of Eakachakra had vision regarding the idol in the sametime which led them to find the idol in Kayamkulam lake. The idol was brought ashore at Nelpurakadavu. In commemoration of retrieval of the idol Vigraha Labdhi Jalolsavam is conducted in Payippad river for three days, after Thiruvonam, legend has it that the idol was kept for public viewing for Ara Nazhika under a banyan tree that belonged to a Christian family, Tharakanmar. There still exist a small temple where the idol was kept known as “Ara Nazhika Ambalam”, the temple was consecrated on the Pushya star of Makara Masa. This day is celebrated as the day of the temple every year. It is believed that Lord Vishnu appeared as a saint to consecrate the temple, in Malayalam year 1096 the temple caught fire but the golden flag mast and the Koothambalam was saved from the fire. The temple was rebuilt during the reign of King Sree Chithira Thirunal Rama Varma. the presiding deity of the temple is Murugan in four armed form with Vel in one hand, Vajrayudha in another hand one hand bestowing blessing and the other toughing its thighs. The idol is about eight feet in height, the idol is believed to have presence of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. The idol faces East Beside the main deity there are other deities which include Dakshina Moorthy, Lord Ganesh, Thiruvambadi Kannan, Nāga, Shasta. It has golden flag mast on eastern side, the temples Sanctum sanctorum is round in shape. The temple compound also hosts a Koothambalam, peacocks, Murugans vahana, are protected and housed in the temple premises. Kerala with Lakshadweep Outlook traveller getaways

23.
Kandiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple
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Kandiyoor Sree Mahadeva Temple is an ancient Shiva temple situated in Kandiyoor near Mavelikara on the banks of Achankovil River. Kandiyoor was once the capital of the Odanadu kingdom and it is one among the 108 great Shiva temples of ancient Kerala consecrated by Lord Parashurama himself. The temple is 1 kilometre west of Mavelikar town north of State Highway 6 and it is spread across an area of 7.5 acres. There are many associated with the temple. One such legend concerning the origin of the temple is related to Rishi Mrikandu father of Rishi Markandeya, according to the legend Marikandu got an idol of Lord Shiva in Kirathamoorthy form while bathing in Ganga. He heard an oracle that the idol be place in a holy, the Rishi searching for the apt location came to Kerala and ended up in the bank of Achankovil and established the temple in Kandiyoor. The name Kandiyoor is a corruption of Kandathil nalla uru, according to another legend the temple is located at the site where Lord Shiva cut off Lord Brahmas head. The name Kandiyoor comes from name of Shiva Sri Kantan and it is believed that Lord Parasurama renovated the temple and gave tanthrik rights to Tharananallur family. Kandiyoor and the temple has great significance in Keralss history, the Kandiyoor temple is the earliest temple about which there is an epigraph about its origin in A. D823 during the reign of Rajasekhara Varman. There was an era name Kandiyoorabdam from the formation of the temple that was in use until the introduction of Kollavarsham. It is also believed that the temple was once Hinayana Buddhist temple and King of Mavelikara ordered the removal of Buddha and it is also believed that it is this unseated Buddha that was retrieved from the paddy fields nearby and placed near the Mavelikara temple recently. Kandiyoor was annexed to Kayamkulam by Kayamkulam Rajah and later to Travancore by Marthanda Varma, the temple is mentioned in Unnuneeli Sandesam written around the 14th century. Kandiyur Mahadeva Shastrikal - a Sanskrit Scholar who wrote many Bhashyams for - Lalitha Sahasranamam, the primary deity of the temple is Lord Shiva known as Kandiyoorappan. The sanctum santorum is two tiered and there is a platform in the front for devotees, a feature that is of the Hoysala style, the bottom tier is oval in shape while the top tier is rectangular. The 10 feet Gajaprishta style wall is believed to be constructed by Shivas Bhothaganas, there are puranic legend stone scriptures in the temple. The primary deity, Kandiyoorappan, is believed to be in kirathamoorthy form, the deity worshipped as Dakshinamoorthy in the morning, Umamaheshwaran in the noon, Kirathamoorthy in the evening. Deity is worshipped as Panchmukha from South-West corner of Pradakshina Vazhy by viewing five Thazikakudams of Shiva temples, there are six Shivalinga Prathishtas in this temple

24.
Kuttikattu Sree Bhadra Kali Devi Temple
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Kuttikattu Sree Bhadra Kali Devi Temple is one of the Bhadrakali temples in Cherthala, Alappuzha district, Kerala. It is about 1 kilometer west of the Arthungal bypass of NH47 at Cherthala, Kunguma Khalasam is conducted on the first Sunday of every month, as per Malayalam calendar. This special Vazipadu is for people who wish to have children, wealth and prosperity, rahukala Naranga Vilakku is another major offering for settling marriage. It has been conducted every Friday, providing food for temple attendees on special days is regarded as quite benevolent. Prasadam Oottu is available on Prathishta days, day of Kunguma Kalasam, Bhagavatha Sapthaham days and these are sponsored by the Devaswom. Devotees can contribute through remittance at the temple counter, now there is a Prasadam Oottu on all Fridays. The temple is a centre of pilgrimage for devotees of serpent gods, the Sarpam Pattu is most pleasing of all poojas to the serpents. This holy ceremony has been conducted every year. Sarppam Pattu requires huge spending and manpower for many months, separate poojas are offered to the nine Nagas, Nagaraja, Sarppa Yakshi, Naga Yakshi, Naga Chamundi, Angu Thala Mani Nagam, Kuzhi Nagam, Kari Nagam, Mani Nagam and Para Nagam during these days. On the eastern side of the temple, songs are recited to please the serpents, the Pulluvan song is accompanied by the sounds from the little Veenas and the music of the Pulluva women playing on Kudam are a familiar sight at Kutti kkattu Devi Temple. Pulluva is a community of the Hindu religion, and they follow this form as their vocation. People with expertise in handling these instruments are even among the Pulluva community

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Mannarasala Temple
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Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple is a very ancient and internationally known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods. The famous Nagaraja temple Mannarasala is nestled in a forest glade, the Mannarasala Temple has over 30,000 images of snakes along the paths and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala. The temple is located three kilometers to the north-east of the bus station in N. H.47 at Haripad. This history of Mannarasala has been mentioned in the Mandara Salodyam, Narayanan Namboodiri of the sacred family based on the accounts and legends handed down and old scriptures and books available with the temple. Lord Parashurama in order to release himself from the sin of killing Kshatriyas approached the holy Rishis and they suggested that he should make a gift of a land of his own to the Brahmins. Parashurama, the son of Bhrigu, propitiated Varuna to get land for himself. He threw into sea the Axe which Lord Shiva had given him with his blessings, thus he reclaimed the land from the sea and gave it as a gift to the Brahmins according to the rites. This land came to be known as Kerala and this piece of land, however was not habitable because of the salinity of the soil and as a result people began to leave the place. Parashurama set out with his disciples in search of a jungle in order to please Nagaraja. He found a place near the seashore in the southern part of Kerala. Satisfied with having found a place for the realization of his cherished dream. A pleased Nagaraja, appeared before Parashurama, willing to grant him his desire, according to the poem by Mannarasala M. G. Narayanan Namboodiri, the Nagaraja made his appearance as if, The unspeakable splendor of millions of moons. The bright magnificence of emeralds stuck to the hoods, golden jewels made attractive by miraculous embroidery. Lotus feet worshipped by crowds of Gods, brilliant beauty of form, full of youthfulness. Parasurama prostrated at the feet of Nagaraja and prayed to realize his objective. Nagaraja granted his request with great pleasure, ferocious serpents arrived at the spot at once to spread the flaming Kalakuda poison. Because of the percolation of poison, the land of Kerala was desalinated, parasurama then requested the Lord to bless the land forever with his eternal presence which was also accepted by the kindly-disposed Nagaraja. Parashurama installed, according to Vedic rites, Nagaraja, who is Brahma, Vishnu and Siva in one in the Thirthasthala filled with Mandara trees, (The installed deity here represents Anantha and Vasuki

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Mullakkal Temple
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Mullakkal Temple, Alleppey Mullakkal Temple in the south Indian city of Alappuzha, Kerala is a multi-faith place of worship. The temple is known as Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple, and Mullakkal Bhagwati Temple. The temple is accessible for devotes from all castes and religions, positioned on one of the main streets of Alleppey, “Mullakkal theruvu”, Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple is structured in old Kerala architectural style. Being surrounded by well-maintained wall and a pond inside, the premises has plenty of trees. There are several related to the origin of the temple. The idol placed on the shrine is of Durga Maa with four arms, the temple is run by Travancore Devaswom boards in Kerala. The shrine of the temple is called “Sanctum sanctorum” and it is an open roof shrine, at the entrance point of the temple, around 20 feet area is kept under roofing. According to convention and old custom this roofed place is used for keeping large elephants that bring the “thidambu” of the goddess on special occasions. There are other deities in the temple, they are Hanuman Swami, Lord Ganesha, Subramanya Swami, Nagaraja, Navagraha, Sree Krishna, there is banyan tree inside the premises where the lingam of Lord Shiva is also placed for darshana. The temple is estimated as almost 500 years old, plenty of stories are found allied to the origin of the temple. According to one story the idol of Mullakkal Devi” was brought here by a group of exiled soldiers from Thekkumkur territory, primarily they placed the idol in a jasmine garden. Later a temple was constructed in the garden by the patronage of King Devanarayana of Chembagasery. There is another story popularly known related to the foundation of the temple, later on the temple was established. Prior to 1961, the placed on the main shrine was of Mata Annapurneswari. As her temple was placed in a Jasmine Garden she was given the name Mullakkal Bhagawthy, the idol of Maa was found in the standing pose facing West digestion in the temple. In 1961 some incredible events took place, believers have reported that a mentally unbalanced person entered the sanctum sanctorum and all on a sudden embraced the idol. Afterward it was observed that some cracks had settled on the idol’s body, an astrologer predicted that the Goddess had instructed to create a fresh idol to be placed on the shrine instead of the old one. Accordingly, on 16 July 1962 a 4-feet tall Rajarajeswari idol was placed on the shrine replacing the old, later on the idol of Lord Krishna and serpent gods were included and placed on different shrines

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Padanilam Parabrahma Temple
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Padanilam Parabrahma Temple is situated at Padanilam in Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is one of the temples in erstwhile Travancore state. The temple is situated 17 km east of Kayamkulam and 7 km south west of Pandalam, the temple is dedicated to Lord Parabrahma, also known as omkaram. Padanilam Temple is believed to be swayambhu and its actual history and the facts about how worship started there are unknown. Padanilam has been the centre of Nooranad and it has the history of intense conflict between various karakal around the temple. This was for gaining control over the administration and thereby controlling the entire village. Due to this pada, the place is said to have got its name and it is believed that the army troops of Kayamkulam Kingdom was camped near the temple for protecting the kingdom from the attack of neighbouring kings. During this period, the village had some chieftains and their supporters and they include Noorukodi Unnithans, Kadackal Kuruppans, Vettathasaans and Vettadickal Kuruppans. Kayamkulam Raja withdrawed his troop about four centuries ago and this initiated tensions between the chieftains for control of the village. Thus they divided into south and north, starting battle, the south side consisted of Noorukodi Karuppans and Kadackal Kuruppans. The other side had Vettathasans and Vettadickal Kuruppans with them, twenty-two karakal supported their respective sides. During the battle, many soldiers of both the sides died in large numbers and they were buried in the chira near the temple. Even from very earliest of times, this temple was a blessing for the people in the surrounding areas and it is also believed that the battle was between Marthanda varma King on one side and Kayamkulam King on the other. The twenty-two karakals of Nooranad took side with the two kings, the common people started worrying about the devastation of the war and approached the Pazhoor Panamana Thampuran to find a solution to end the war. He tried to intervene but the parties were not in a position to stop and he made a tent in the eastern part of the temple and started fasting unto death. But that also did not deter the warring parties, but when he was on the verge of death due to the fast, they fearing the Brahmanasaapam, agreed to stop war. They demarcated the boundary in the direction and stopped the war in the name of Parabrahma. Sivarathri is the festival in the temple

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Valiyakulangara Devi Temple
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Valiyakulangara Devi Temple is located about 5 km from Haripad and 4 km from Thrikkunnappuzha. It is located 3 km from the National Waterway-3 as well as from the National Highway-47, the major festival is the Aswathi festival in Feb-March, famous for the Fireworks show and the Kettukaazcha. Kettukazhcha displays deftly sculpted and decorated forms of six temple cars known as Kuthiras, five Therus and icons of Bhima and Hanuman

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Ernakulam district
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Ernakulam is a district of Kerala, India situated in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,068 km2, Ernakulam district is home to over 12% of Kerala’s population and its headquarters is located at Kakkanad, a suburb of Kochi city. Ernakulam is known as the capital of Kerala. The district is famous for its ancient temples, churches, the district includes the largest metropolitan region of the state, Greater Cochin. Ernakulam district is the highest revenue yielding district in the state and it is the third most populous district in Kerala, after Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram. Ernakulam district also hosts the highest number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala state, the language spoken in Ernakulam is Malayalam which is the mother-tongue of Kerala. English is widely used, especially in business circles, Ernakulam became Indias first district having 100 percent banking or full meaningful financial inclusion in 2012. The name Ernakulam is derived from Erayanarkulam which means the abode of Lord Shiva, Ernakulam was also known as Rishinagakulam in ancient days. From ancient times Ernakulam district has played a part in the history of south India. The Jews, Syrians, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British and Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Kingdom of Cochin, in 1896, the Maharaja of Cochin initiated local administration by forming a town council in Ernakulam. Initially Ernakulam districts headquarters was at Ernakulam, which gave the district its name, according to the 2011 census Ernakulam district has a population of 3,282,388, roughly equal to the nation of Mauritania or the US state of Iowa. This gives it a ranking of 104th in India, the district has a population density of 1,069 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 5. 6%, Ernakulam has a sex ratio of 1028 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 95. 68%. This district is listed as the most advanced district in Kerala and it had a resident population of 3,105,798 as of 2001, excluding the huge commuter traffic from neighbouring districts. Hindus accounts for the largest community followed by Christians and Muslims, a small population of Jains, Jews and Sikhs are also residing in Kochi. Also, Ernakulam district has the highest number of Christian population in India, in addition to the major communities the Buddhists, the Jains, the Sikhs, and the Jews also form part of the cosmopolitan population. The ancestors of the Jews migrated from Jerusalem in 70 A. D. to India, now there are very few Jewish families in Cochin as most of them were converted to Syrian Christians, and the rest migrated to Israel in the 20th century. The 15. 7% of the population are Malayalam speaking Sunni Shafii Muslims, Ernakulam district covers an area of 3,068 km2 located on the Western Coastal Plains of India

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Dakshina Mookambika Temple, North Paravur
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The Dakshina Mookambika Temple is a famous Saraswati temple in the town of North Paravur in the Ernakulam district of Kerala. The presiding deity in temple is Saraswati and sub-deities are Ganapathy, Subrahmanyan, Mahavishnu, Yakshi. A shrine devoted to Yakshi is at the southwest corner, the sanctum sanctorum is in the midst of a lotus pool. According to legends, Thampuran of Paravur was a devotee of Goddess Mookambika. He used to visit the Kollur temple in Mangalore every year to pay homage to the goddess, when he became old, his health worsened and he could no longer undertake the long journey to Kollur. The goddess appeared to the sad devotee in a dream and ordered him to build her idol near his palace so that he can have darshan of her. Thampuran followed her instructions, built a temple at Paravur and installed the Goddess, the famous Navratri festival is celebrated here with great fervor. Thousands of people participate in the Navaratri music festival, thousands of little children are initiated into the world of letters by making them write the word harisree on rice, their tongues or sand with a golden ring. Apart from the Navratri festival, the annual festival is celebrated in the month of Makaram. The music festival and Vidyāraṃbhaṃ ceremony are the features of this festival

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Chottanikkara Temple
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The Chottanikkara Devi Temple is a famous temple of mother goddess Shakthi devi or Rajarajeshwari known as Sree Bhagavathi. Maha lakshmi is supposed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with Lord Vishnu, Sree Mahamaya Bhagawati, the goddess of power, is one of the most popular deities in Kerala and the supreme mother goddess in Hinduism. Supreme lord Shiva, Ganesh & Lord Dharmasastha is also worshiped at the temple, people suffering from mental illnesses & commonly visit the temple, as Chottanikkara devi is thought to cure her devotees. One should not miss the Guruthi Pooja in the Keezhkkaavu temple at Chottanikkara, Goddess keezhkkaavu devi is believed to be Bhadrakali, in her fierce form or ugra form. Bhadrakali, is a form of mother Kali, supposed to be born from the eye of lord Shiva. Guruthi pooja is a ritual done at late evening to invoke goddess Mahakali, earlier Guruthi Pooja was done only on Fridays. But nowadays, it is performed every day, mental diseases are believed to be totally cured by Keezhkkaavu Kali. Chottanikara Makam thozhal is the religious festival temple. The area in which the temple is situated was once a dense forest that was believed to be infested by yakshis, a tribesman named Kannappan used to live in this forest. He was a worshipper of Kali, and would ritually sacrifice a cow to her every Friday. One day, he found a black calf near the forest. He kidnapped the calf and took her to his altar, just before he sacrificed the calf, tribesmans daughter Manimanga stepped in and pleaded to him to stop the sacrifice. The man loved his daughter and thus let her keep the calf as a pet, unfortunately, Manimanga died some days later, possibly due to a snake bite. Kannappan broke into tears and decided to cremate her body, to his surprise, his daughters corpse disappeared. A nearby priest told him the reason for such an occurrence, Kannappan used to take young calves from their mothers. As punishment, he met the same fate when his daughter died, however, when the tribes man looked for the calf, he found two divine stones in its place. Since Kannappans death, the stones were forgotten, one day, a grass-cutter came to the forest to cut some wild grass. Since her knife was blunt, she sharpened it on what she thought was a big stone, only it was a stone, but then it started bleeding

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Kurumbakkavu Bhagavathy Temple Edathala
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Edathalas Sree Kurumbakkavu Bhagavathy Temple is in a village that is 8 km from Aluva Railway station and 20 km from Cochin international Airport. The Divine Mother known as Kurumbakavilamma is worshiped here as the main deity, apart from the main deity, the temple complex consists of a temple for Sastha, peedam for Nagas, Khandakarnan, Rakshas and Kshetrapalakan. Meena Bharani, the birthday of Kurumbakavilamma, is the most important festival of the temple and is celebrated on Bharani Nakshatram in the month of Meenam, the exact place of the temple is Kunjattukara. Temples of Kerala Edathala Sree Kurumbakkavu Bhagavathy Temple

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Sree Bhavaneeswara Temple
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Sree Bhavaneeswara Temple in Palluruthy, Kochi established by the great saint, sage and social reformer of India, Sree Narayana Guru on 8 March 1916. The temple is managed by Sree Dharma Paripalana Yogam which was founded in 1903 with the guidance, the main celebration at the temple is the Mahotsavam, for 11 days during February–March, every year. Sri Narayana Jayanthi and Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi day are two important days at the temple, swarna Dwaja Pratista Day is being observed every year on the day immediately preceding the Mahotsavam celebrations. Nava Graha Homam is being performed on all Sundays, annadhanam and Sampoorna Niramala is being sponsored by devotees on all Saturdays. Sree Narayana Guru Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Sivagiri, Kerala Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam Sree Dharma Paripalana Yogam Sree Dharma Paripalana Yogam Website